The most powerful, modern and easy-to-use PCB design tool for professional use.

PCB design begins with a schematic, this is where all the ideas that you and your design team have developed are collected and turned into working circuits. Traditionally the task of schematic capture was done separately from the PCB layout, and then uploaded to drive the layout CAD tools. This process involved separate CAD systems and a bi-directional data transfer system that allowed the two systems to work with each other. If it sounds like it was prone to error, you would be right. Fortunately the engineers at Altium had a different idea on how this process should work, and created Altium Designer to combine all aspects of PCB design in order to make it easier, faster, more reliable, and better.

Altium Designer features a unified design system which integrates all of its tools into a common design environment. This assures that the circuits, rules, and constraints that you build into your schematic will get into the layout the way you intended, and further helps you by providing similar user interfaces. Altium Designer’s schematic capture application is also easy to learn and use, and yet can handle the most complex and challenging designs that you can throw at it. Together with all the rest of the PCB design tools that come with it you will enjoy the benefits of Altium Designer, the most powerful schematic design program that you can get.

To design a printed circuit board you need to create a schematic to drive the layout. At one time this meant drawing circuits using a drafting table or even on the back of an envelope, but electronic design today requires a much higher level of communication between the tools that are used. The symbols you place on the schematic need to be loaded with data that will drive bill of materials reports for PCB manufacturing, as well as being able to connect with part vendors for current pricing and availability. These parts also need the physical attributes within them to drive the layout in addition to the logical attributes embedded in them for simulators and signal integrity tools. Creating a schematic is no longer a casual affair and requires a robust set of design tools that can accomplish all of these tasks.

What You Need to Know About Schematic Capture

Here are some basic ideas that will help you to understand what schematic capture is all about, and what today’s design tools need to be able to do.

The best way to get better at using schematic capture tools is to put the pencil down and pick up the mouse.

All of the tasks outlined above are necessary requirements for schematic capture tools to triumph in today’s electronic design world. Fortunately Altium Designer has been created to provide for all of these needs and more. Altium Designer is an intuitive tool that is easy to learn and use. In very little time you will be maneuvering symbols and connecting wires to complete your own designs.

You will also learn very quickly how to manage Altium’s vast library system, and easily create symbols for new parts. And finally, you will be ready to synchronize your schematic with the layout all within the same design session. Altium Designer has been created for engineers like you to get the job done right.

While it is true that Altium Designer has been created to help you learn and use it quickly, it is important to understand that Altium Designer has also been built with the power needed to handle the most complex designs. Altium Designer is prepared for schematics with repeated circuitry with its multi-channel functionality so that you can replicate design circuitry without having to redraw every page individually.

You will also be able to control your large schematics by creating a hierarchical schematic flow for them allowing you to organize your logical functions into separate blocks of circuitry. For those projects with intense rules and constraints such as a high-speed design, Altium Designer is prepared for that too with its ability to assign layout rules from within the schematic. And all of this functionality is based on Altium Designer’s unified design environment allowing unfettered communication between tools and a common user interface that will simplify your workflow and enhance your productivity.

Put the Power of Altium Designer’s Schematic Design Program to Work for You

Altium Designer has the power and versatility to handle your toughest design challenges.

Although easy to learn and use, Altium Designer has also been built to do the heavy lifting of circuit creation.

No matter what circuit you’re working on, in order to ensure proper design development you’ll want PCB design software that can handle any of your circuit diagrams and electronic circuits. Don’t settle for layout software that forgets to put the printed in printed circuit. Make sure your circuit board sees the light at the end of the tunnel and makes it to manufacturing. To design the best you need the best schematic design program: Altium Designer.

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